Daylight slowly crept through the blinds Saturday morning prompting us to acknowledge that it was probably time to get up, although we tried to ignore it as long as possible. We were pretty darn comfortable all snug in our beds. We had such an action packed Friday that our bodies were secretly trying to persuade our minds to hit the virtual snooze button for another fifteen or twenty minutes. We new it was really time to get up after the third "What time is it now?" was heard from underneath someone's covers. Liz was back in the kitchen working on toasted blueberry bagels with cream cheese, fresh fruit and freshly brewed coffee. We each rotated through the shower, getting dressed and straightening up our respective sleeping quarters and eventually all sat down at the table together to eat breakfast and talk about the plans for the day. The LLGF seminar didn't start until 12:30 in the afternoon so we pretty much had all morning to do whatever. A couple of us took our coffee mugs outside and sat on the Adirondack chairs to just relax and breath in the fresh morning air. It was a bit overcast and the water was as slick as glass. It was so quiet and peaceful like you were the only person on the planet for a brief moment in time. Dolphins were within a rock's throw and were in absolutely no hurry to get anywhere in particular. It was as if they were putting forth just enough effort to remain stationary facing against the current as mullet and other baitfish are swept right in front of their face. We sat and watched them for several minutes before they finally moved on. Two or three other Bridgwater Inn lodgers made their way outside to greet the morning as well. The two ladies staying in the room to our left were sisters from Miami and were also here for the seminar. The couple staying in the room to our right had traveled down from Tennessee with another couple and had reserved a charter boat for fishing that afternoon. Dot and Liz went back inside and came back out with their rods. That's the spirit !! Maybe they'd have better luck Saturday morning than they had Friday night. No more than 30 seconds after Dot cast her line out and she had hooked up on a fish and no sooner had she realized she had a fish on, it cut her line like a razor. It took her bait, hook and all of her leader line. Oh, she had a few choice words to say about that and wasn't about to let bygones be bygones, no-sir-ee. That fish was still out there and by-God she was going to catch it! She must have spent the next half hour trying to rehook that rascal but it was no use...that thing, whatever it was, was long gone!

Bridge Fishing

A quick glance at the Matlacha Pass draw bridge to our right and we wondered why there was no one fishing from the "most fishingest bridge in the world" this morning.. Very curious since there had been a hand-full of anglers on both sides of that bridge since the moment we arrived on the island the previous day. Why was there no one there now on such a beautiful morning? None of us really cared at that point. Quite honestly, we considered it a perfect opportunity to 'own' the bridge for a little while. It was too good to pass up. Why not be the first to cast a line from it? So we picked up our tackle boxes and rods and spaced ourselves out for a little bridge fishing hoping to blend in with the locals when they arrived.

Both Marilee, standing on the seawall in the background between the rocks and telephone pole, and Dot each got themselves another solid hook-up both resulting in cut lines once again. Very frustrating, to say the least. They were hoping to get another strike or two so they continued to fish that area for another half hour or so but weren't able to lure any other big 'uns to take the bait. The bridge was still bare of local anglers after about an hour so we shrugged our shoulders and headed back to the Inn. Obviously they (the locals) knew something we didn't.

Sheepshead

As we were rounding the corner of the hotel office, we noticed a few folks standing on the concrete seawall and looking straight down into the water. Wonder what they're looking at? As we got closer, we took a quick peek ourselves to see a school of sheepshead foraging for food on the rock jetty at the base of the seawall. The water was shallow enough and the sun was bright enough that we got a pretty good show for the next fifteen minutes. Someone attempted to trick a few of them with some shrimp on a circle hook, but they weren't interested at all. As a matter of fact, if you looked closely, you could see a number of free swimming baby shrimp just hanging out near the rocks and the pylons that supported the hotel itself. It was pretty amazing.

Dot's Island Tour

Dot's time with us was limited. She had to drive back to Citrus County Sunday morning because of a previous appointment she had on Monday that she couldn't miss so we had to make the most of the Saturday she was with us. Since we weren't having much luck catching fish, we figured the next best thing to do would be to go shopping. And since Liz, Marilee and I had already done the scouting the day before, we already knew which stores to take Dot to for the ultimate Matlacha experience. All we knew is that we had to be back at the hotel by 12:00 so that we could eat lunch and be at the LLGF seminar by 12:30. We all ended up with a memento or two by the time we were done.

Liz's funky little hat

Delores's plaque

Getting Ready for the LLGF Seminar

Given the fact that Dot was only going to be with us Saturday, we had to make the most of every minute. Fishing from the hotel room dock, fishing from the bridge, a self-guided tour of the Matlacha Island shops, all were packed into the Saturday morning hours of 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. Now it was time to get ready for the LLGF Seminar.